CHILD CARE BC

Caring for Kids, Lifting Up Families

Our made-in-B.C. plan will give our kids a head start and help families get ahead.

Budget 2018 is investing a billion dollars into child care – the biggest investment in B.C. history – to deliver swift relief for tens of thousands of families and help us lay the foundation for a universal, affordable child care plan that will benefit British Columbians for decades to come.

By bringing fees down for parents, building more licensed spaces, and working to support and increase the number of qualified Early Childhood Educators we are taking the first important steps towards universal child care.

Reducing Costs For Parents

We know parents are struggling today. That's why we are investing $630 million over three years to improve affordability, including a child care fee reduction that will offer immediate relief for parents with children up to age five in licensed child care.

Access For All Families

Improving access to quality child care isn't just about delivering more licensed child care spaces. It's about inclusion for all children. That means working with Indigenous communities to create culturally-centred child care services, increasing access to specialized care for children with diverse needs, and making sure that child care is welcoming for children who may be vulnerable due to family circumstances.

Quality Care For Our Kids

Kids are precious and irreplaceable. That's why our plan for universal child care is focused on delivering quality, licensed spaces across the province. But quality is about more than licensing. It's also about supporting children's healthy development and early learning. Child care can and should be an important part of a child's learning journey

Reducing Costs For Parents

A new affordable child care benefit:Budget 2018 will create a new affordable child care benefit to help bring more relief to parents.

This new benefit, which families will be able to apply for beginning in September 2018, will be available to help lower the cost of child care for families making up to $111,000 a year.

Immediate Relief for Parents:Starting on April 1, 2018, parents with children in licensed care will be eligible for fee reductions of up to $350 a month, based on the age of their child and whether they are in group or family care.

Taking steps towards future affordability:The province, in partnership with the federal government, is exploring ways to make child care more affordable for everyone. As part of our joint funding agreement, we are advancing pilot projects that will offer reduced-cost child care spaces to families regardless of income.

Child Care BC

Access For All Families

Licensed child care for more kids:As part of Budget 2018, we’re investing $237 million to improve access, including delivering more than 22,000 new licensed spaces throughout the province, laying a strong foundation for universal child care in B.C., giving parents access when and where they need it.

Improving access for all children:In order to better support Indigenous children and children with diverse needs we are providing additional funding to reduce waitlists for Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Supported Development programs. We are also expanding Head Start programs both on and off reserve.

Child Care BC

Quality Care For Our Kids

Helping existing providers become licensed:One of the most efficient and effective ways to expand licensed child care across British Columbia is to help existing providers become licensed. We are making it easier for existing providers to join the licensed system by providing start-up grants to help offset the costs of becoming licensed.

Strengthening our laws to protect our kids:We will introduce changes to our child care laws to make sure unlicensed child care providers who are putting kids at risk are identified and held accountable.

Recruiting and retaining Early Childhood Educators:The backbone of quality child care is quality staff. Early Childhood Educators are critical to the quality of care and learning in licensed facilities. Budget 2018 provides $136 million over three years to enhance quality of care, including important new supports for training and development of Early Childhood Educators. We will increase the number of spaces available to train these early learning experts and offer expanded access to grants and bursaries to support certification of quality child care staff.